The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1887-10-01
THE RUSSIAN sERFs.
q Reaotionary Movement Having la View
Their rEe-EngIavement.

| 4 ARsAotionary Movement Having va Wow
Their rKe-EnsIavemsnt.
II is now aquartcr Of century since
Russia emancipatcd 2z,OOO, 900 serfs
There has as yet been no evidence adj
duced that the step was not wise one
The manumittcd class has made con-
siderable intellectual and material pro-
gress. which would not have been pos
sible under the old conditions. So far
AS known, the Government has not re-
gretted It's act Of mercy. II seems,
therefore, all the stranger tHat pro-
iect has been submitted TO the council
Of the empire for the virtual rc-cnslavc-
ment Of millions Of Russia peasants.
The exact nature Of the scheme has not
been made clear, bn, If il be carried
out. the class affected will become sub
icct 10 new funciiOnarics, who Will pos
sess the power Of inilicting penalties
and imprisonment without the yictimi
having the right Of appeal 10 any tri-
bunal Couut Tol-toi, who is the orig
inator Of the scheme. shows his utter
heartlcssncs7 by explaining that ancccs.
sity has arisen for subiugating tho
peasants because they have begun 10
realize that they have rights.
IL is probable that majority
Of the council viii vote against
the inhuman plan, but fear, ARC
expressed that the measure may be ap
proved by the Cur. That il not un-
likely Alexander Ill, unless he has
been grossly misrcprcsentcd. j. "A ht
agent for rc-cnslaying the men and
women who were 50 mcrcifuly freed
bv the manifesto Of 1861 In "onnec-
tiOn with this subject il is worthy ~
note that the present year j. 10 witness
the COnstImmatiOn Of the emauCipa.
ton acts of 1861 aud 1866, and that
from this year tho peasants of tho
crown may hold their land as owners.
BY the act of 1861 there was 20 be no
compulsiOn upon the owner 10 sell his
property, but when negotiation had
been entered into between him and his
tenants with regard 10 such sale, tho
only obstacle To II satisfactory arrange
ment was II disagreement as 10 price
and the method Of payment, then. on
the demand Of the owner the State
stepped in rs final arbitrator.
The tenants formerly scrfs of the
crown were specially treated by a law
promulgated on the 2lth of November,
1866. This class was therein privileged
to claim the ownership Of the land they
occupied, and the only fOrmality re-
quircd was "a pccuniary payment Of
one hundred rublcs n sum it was
not necessary to exceed even when
"a commune applied for power to redeem
many parcels of land. The rent was To- bc
capitalized at the rate Of five per cent.
and repaid by annual installmcnts in the
same manner and for the same term as
hy the tenants on private lands, credit
being allowed them at the rate of five
per cent. for the initial payment of one
rublcs. So far il had been a
question of optional redemption, but in
1891, when eighty per cent of the peas
ants had become prOprietors, il was de-
creed to enforce the change of tenure
make them responsible to the State for
their yearly payments. IL was not un-
Ill May, 1885, that the compulsory prin-
ciple was extended To the tenants of the
crown. and by clause of law of that
date the 3lst of December, 1886, was
named rs the day on which the old or
der of things should cease absolutely.
The change from mutablc rent To- y
fxcd and terminal series of payments
ought To be 10 the advantage of the ten
sots, and 50 it would seem To be from
he fact that the operation is expected
to cause n loss To the budget of 4.000.-
300 rublcs annually. 1t would certain
" bc most unreasonable for Russia To
adopt the Tolstoi scheme. SO wholly at
variance with the spirit of cmancipa-
lion. and that during the very year
when so large portion of the once EN-
shaved class is just beginning to enter
n the fruition of the new order u. |
.h,ngs. Boston T'rdrcicr.